Sigh of Bile (Mod)

[Ayakura Alisa]

I had done some scrounging up on information... Speaking up with Ran after the little transaction made me think about a few things. Maybe there was another avenue where the Shadows lurked as opposed to the outside? Are there any other places they could conceivably attack the city from? It was there and then I realized, after some searching on the local Internet about the city's sewage... Well, of course, there had to be creatures lurking in the sewers. This was also one of the areas my parents had definitely not explored, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who took trips there. A while ago, I decided I would try my hand at archery. I saved up some leftover cash and decided I would purchase myself a bow. Guns are a lot more discrete, but at the same time, while they may be stronger, I believe that it's a lot easier to customize the kind of arrows one does as opposed to gun and bullet modification. It's a lot cheaper to maintain as well. I don't think I was a very good shot yet, but I think if I could get practice in, that would be most excellent.

Anyway, off to find a quick way INSIDE this drat place. It was a little late, since I didn't want to seem too conspicuous. Finding a way inside was a bit difficult, but I believe there was a secluded manhole or stairwell to get there. I didn't care that the gaping maw that invited me in once I found the entrance was disgusting. I just needed to find out what had happened beneath the surface this time. What greeted me was one of the most foul, rank, disgusting stenches I had ever come across. God, what the hell happened here? I looked about and saw the sewage and cringed. My knife was on my person and I was holding my bow. I had a rather modernized quiver strung along my back this time, containing plainly fletched arrows with steel tips. They would do. I learned my lesson back at the Executive Building. My fragile body was not enough to withstand continuous magical attacks, I would get fried; so the best alternative was to attack from range.

Steeling myself, I made my way along the metal path, my boots stepped on strange slimy substances... I'd need to wash that later. In any case, I continued my way cautiously. Gotta be careful. You can never know what lurks around the corner!

[Erithania]

Beware the Squggly Desu!

Slick Hand

Skills
Agi
Assault Dive

Resists: Fire
Weakness: Ice

Moist Hand

Skills
Bufu
Skewer

Resist: Pierce
Weakness: Slash

[Ayakura Alisa]

Sounds. Strange sounds coming from the water. I looked around. It was dark, but not so dark that I couldn't see where I was going. Turning around to face the source of the sounds, I spotted strange apparitions emerging from the water and hopping out onto the ground. Well, one of them did. They looked like... hands? Strange hand apparitions. I thought I'd seen it all. I steeled myself for another combat situation. This time, the hands looked incredibly wet and moist. I did not want those things on me if I could help it. Not only would it hurt and be unhygienic, but that crap is just disgusting. The hands wriggled in place, one of them taunted me by performing a 'come hither' gesture... How crass! I readied my bow and decided I'd set my sights on the hand playing about in the water. This one frolicking in the water looked like it was about to throw something at me, but before it could, I had already pulled an arrow out of my quiver, directed my shot at the hand and then pulled 'n released the string, launching said arrow directly into the hand's palm. It writhed and contorted as a real person's hand would after being stabbed.

It was oddly realistic. However, the arrow still stuck in it, it crushed it in its palm and rolled its own fingers up into a fist, stretching itself and soon pointing a finger at me like a gun. A small ball of fire started contorting. At the same time the other hand slithered towards me, hand positioned like a knife. I growled and took a few steps back, holding the bow in my left hand and readying my knife. However, the hand in the water shot a ball of fire at me, causing me to reflexively cover my face and upper body with my right arm, causing a searing sensation to overcome it. Argh! It really hurt. I thought being struck by lightning hurt. Being torched by a fireball hurts just as much, if not more. My arm began to shudder as I winced and shook. The other hand continued to slither, and in my momentary stagger and moment of weakness, jammed and skewered its arm into my right leg, causing me to scream out in pain again and kneel. Enraged, I retaliated by slashing this dastardly hand with my knife.

Slashing at it caused it to flinch more than the hand who I shot with a freaking steel-tip arrow, causing me to believe that these Shadows must at least have different reactions to different attacks. However, I found myself unable to properly move now that I had been stabbed in the leg by a goddamn hand. Panting, the hand seemed to be similarly enraged after I had retaliated with a melee attack of my own, as it contorted itself to try and stab my other leg and literally try to cripple me. The other hand seemed to get sick of this too, and prepared to shoot another fireball from its hand-gun (HAH!) shape. As the closer hand tried to strike me, I literally slashed off one of its fingers, causing it to recoil, but in response the other hand shot a fireball aimed at my face, which would surely burn my face to something FUBAR'd. I covered my face with my other arm. SSSHHH!! The jacket I was wearing, along with a portion of my long-sleeved kimono, literally burned off. I was now wearing a single-sleeved kimono and jacket. Great. I continued my assault on the hand that wasn't taking potshots at me.

Gasping and wincing from the pain of taking two fireballs to my arms, I slashed the fist of the ground-locked hand as it curled up to try and punch me in the stomach. Though I was sure it would fall after that attack, it still did succeed in willing more power and socking me in the stomach, causing me to get sent flying back a bit. I ended up rolling over some muck. I weakly kneeled, wincing and cursing out loud as I felt the stinging sensation from being jabbed in the leg as the hand that punched me started writhing, pointing at me grudgingly before fading away. The hand that was in the water soon launched itself high into the air, taking advantage of my downed position. However, I quickly prepared my bow as I kneeled in place, and when the hand reached the peak of its jump, it attempted to dive me from above. My arrow was sent straight to its knuckle, but it didn't stop the impact. I tried to shift to the side, but it knocked right into my exposed arm, and I thought I heard a crack. Turns out he just smashed my exposed arm into the ground.

FFFFFAAARGH!

Almost getting knocked down again, I was panting and desperate. I jammed my knife into the hand that launched into my arm, wrenching it as far as it could go. As I did, it started to fade and dissipate, writhing like a man's hand would as you tortured him with electricity or some other deadly implement. As it disappeared, I simply gasped and panted. What the freaking hell was it with these Shadows and hurting so much? I just don't understand. I shifted my weight against the wall of the sewers, forcing myself to stand up, and limping again. Ouch! The pain in my leg didn't subside. I forced myself to keep on retreating. Still too goddamn weak...

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

Success!

You defeated the enemy!